Favorite Scenes

When Cnaiur returns to his tribe after Kiyuth and I realised just how batshit Bakker's barbarians were. So awesome how Cnaiur's insanity is foreshadowed by him being the pinnacle of a maddeningly brutal culture.

In the early part of the book, far and away, Inrau's death. Tortured soul as he was, boy died like a fucking champ. One does not mess with Gnostic kung fu.

ANY scene with Conphas. He's a joy to read. Even though he's supremely young, I always, always picture James Purefoy's portrayal of Marc Antony from HBO's Rome. The smarm and cunning just fit the mold.

Yursalka's death, but for other reasons. Sure, I really like Cnaiur. Despite his insanity and utter brutality, he's one of the most compelling characters in the whole series. Hands down. However, Yursalka's death, man, that was hard. I understood his reasons and his horror. Despite the Scylvendi being what they are, Bakker did a fine job at making them people.

Cnaiur and Kellhus drawing up their cover stories. Here's Cnaiur beaten and bloody by Kellhus, fighting and trying to catch hold of his waning hope to find Moenghus. And Kellhus lays it out before him how they'll come to the Holy War, giving us one of the best lines of the book. "We shall come to them out of the darkness, Scylvendi. We'll be whoever we say we are." Gives me chills every time I read it.

Sranchammer, king of One Scene Wonders throughout the whole series thus far.

ANY scene with Conphas. He's a joy to read. Even though he's supremely young, I always, always picture James Purefoy's portrayal of Marc Antony from HBO's Rome. The smarm and cunning just fit the mold.

So I'm not the only one.

The Prologue is one of my favorites actually. Though only after a re-reading. The prose there is quite beautiful, I think. "One cannot raise walls against what has been forgotten." Other favorites include any scene where Cnaiur is THE MOST VIOLENT OF ALL MEN.

I'd have to agree. I appreciate the prologue (despite its wonky formatting) a lot more in the third go-around. The encounter with the Nonman is an especially good point, as is Kellhus losing it for a while.

When I first flipped open the book to a random page, it was Conphas, saying something about the nature of men and how they follow. I think every page I flipped to had something interesting going on - honestly, if only one page in four had something interesting on it, I'd have bought it. But every page.

I will remember, Dunyain! I will remember!

Even then...having no idea about the history of the nonmen, there's something about that that stuck. Like a tower saying it's gunna remember you...

Agree, Mog. I enjoyed the politicking of TDTCB but, absolutely, from Cnaiur finding Kellhus on his father's barrow and their journey across the Steppe to the Holy War has to be one of my favorite fantasy sequences ever.

Speaking of Cnaiur, I can't remember specifically when it occurs, but there's a moment after reaching Momemn where for a brief instant Cnaiur actually feels horror and guilt for what he has delivered to the Holy War. That a Dunyain is a creature so terrible that even a Scylvendi shouldn't inflict it on his fellow man, even those that just exist as sacrifices to Lokung.